Anzio OVA
The Anzio OVA "This is the Real Anzio Battle!" "Kore ga Hontō no Anzio-sen desu!" (これが本当のアンツィオ戦です ! ) is an OVA episode that presents the events surrounding Ooarai's battle against Anzio Girls High School, in the second round of the tournament, as all information on this match was glossed over in the anime series. The episode was released on July 5th, 2014. Plot 'Training and Intelligence' In the courtyard of Anzio Girls High School, their commander, Anchovy, addresses the Sensha-dō members. Having just defeated Maginot Girls Academy, The Anzio girls are in high spirits, until they discover that their next opponent, Ooarai Girls High School, is headed by Miho Nishizumi, and therefore supposedly makes use of the dreaded Nishizumi Style. To counter this, Anchovy announces that their school's vigilant economising has paid off. Pointing to a covered tank at the back of the courtyard, Anchovy makes to unveil their new 'secret weapon'. Just as she does so, however, the lunch bell rings, and the Anzio girls rush off, more interested in Anzio's famous pasta. Back on the Ooarai school carrier, the school council hold a strategy meeting with the members of Anglerfish Team on the topic of their next match against Anzio. Momo Kawashima states that Anzio makes use of Italian tanks, such as the Carro Veloce 33 or the Semovente M41. There had also been rumours that they had obtained a new secret weapon, which was not deployed in the first round. Anzu Kadotani shrugs dismissively, claiming that they'll soon find out what it is, at which point Yukari Akiyama bursts into the room, wearing a convenience store uniform. In her video of the infiltration of Anzio's school carrier, Yukari learns that in Anzio, there are many stalls which help to fill the budget holes, as it is a poor school. Finding a stall with a tank-shaped roof, Yukari meets with Anzio's Sensha-dō vice-commander, Pepperoni, who offers her some of Anzio's famous pasta. Making small talk, Pepporoni effortlessly discloses everything there is to know about Anzio's secret weapon, the only issue being that she has forgotten what it is. However, thanks to her details, Yukari guesses what the tank is; a P40 Heavy Tank. She goes to the stadium to take a look, and finds Anchovy parading it around in high spirits and happily posing for photos. Walking through town the next day, Miho hears the sound of Caesar training in her home. She is welcomed by all of Hippo Team, who are gathering data on the combat specifics of the P40, with some difficulty. Caesar mentions that she has a childhood friend who now attends Anzio Girls High School, but has decided not to mine her for information out of fairness and respect. At the next training session, Ooarai decide to have a practice match, with the Panzer IV acting as the P40 and the Type 89B playing the role of a CV.33. Duck Team shoots at Turtle Team with the machine gun, and the two tanks duel at high speed. Hippo Team chases the Panzer IV, but loses them in the poor visibility of the steep hills. Anglerfish Team counterattacks from the flank at close range. Rabbit Team gets lost trying to keep up, eventually winding up between the Panzer 38(t) and the Type 89B, both of whom are racing in a tight circle, each trying to hit the other. Anglerfish Team convenes at Saori Takebe's apartment for dinner. The next day, Nekonya tries to introduce herself to Miho Nishizumi, with the intent of joining the Sensha-dō team. In conversation with her friends, Miho does not notice Nekonya. At the morals committee clubroom, Anzu Kadotani announces her intention to have the Midoriko Sono and her companions crew the Char B1 bis. Down in the lower decks of the school carrier, a loud crash is heard as the automobile club, attempting to lift the Tiger (P) out by crane, botch the job and drop the 60-tonne package back into the ship, causing significant damage. Satoko Nakajima indicates that the difficult job will take more time to complete. 'The Real Anzio Battle' On the day of the match, Anchovy comes to meet with the Ooarai students, also meeting Miho for the first time. In the meantime, one of her vice-commanders, Carpaccio, spots Caesar, revealing herself to be the childhood friend that Caesar mentioned previously. 'Operation Macaroni' The match kicks off, with both teams heading for the central crossroads, which is the primary strategic location in the otherwise mountainous battlefield. Anzio's CV.33 tankettes are the fastest vehicles, and arrive first. They prepare a trap with 'Operation Macaroni', a ruse that uses wooden cutouts to imitate Anzio vehicles guarding the crossroads whilst their real tanks flank around behind Ooarai and encircle them. Miho has Duck Team and Rabbit Team scout the crossroads from two sides. Duck Team spots five Anzio 'tanks' and Rabbit Team spots another six. Given that Anzio's enthusiasm is at odds with such a conservative defensive strategy, Miho is cautious about attacking. Furthermore, the numbers indicate that Anzio would be fielding eleven tanks, which is a breach of rules: 2nd round matches only allow up to ten vehicles per side. Sure enough, when the scouts probe the crossroads, the Anzio 'tanks' are revealed to be fakes. Miho immediately deduces their plan, and redeploys Ooarai forces accordingly. Duck Team heads right. Rabbit Team heads left. The remainder of the Ooarai vehicles stick with the flag tank, the Panzer 38(t), and proceed forwards in search of the P40, which is Anzio's flag tank. 'Northern Flank' A force of five CV.33 tankettes, commanded by Pepperoni, are discovered by Duck Team. The machine-gun-armed tankettes turn to engage the Type 89B on the move. Although their concentrated machine gun fire panics the volleyball club members, it is insufficient to penetrate the armour of the medium tank. Duck Team counters with accurate fire, landing hits on multiple Anzio tankettes. However, as the chase drags on, Anzio vehicles keep appearing as fast as Duck Team can take them out. The Ooarai girls begin to harbour fears that the CV.33s are invincible. However, Miho calms them over the radio, informing them that the ultra-light vehicles are simply being knocked over by the Type 89B's shells. Having not shown the white flag, the tankettes are being tipped back onto their treads by the Anzio girls and are hence rejoining the fight as fast as they are hit. Understanding that a direct hit to the weak points of the CV.33 will immobilise it for sure, Noriko Isobe opens the hatch to direct shots from a 'heads up' position. At that moment, Rabbit Team, pursued by two Semovente, comes flying past in the other direction and narrowly avoids a collision with Duck Team. Through some accurate shooting, Duck Team rapidly immobilises four of the CV.33s, leaving only the tankette commanded by Pepperoni remaining. Anzio abandons its encirclement plan and Anchovy calls all her forces back to defend the flag tank. Pepperoni disengages and races off, with Duck Team giving chase. 'Southern Flank' Rabbit Team, scouting east, spots another two Semovente M41 tankettes parked alongside the road. Aya Oono, prematurely believing them to be more wooden fakes, opens fire with M3 Lee's machine gun. She is shocked when the Semovente come to life and return fire. Rabbit Team takes off, and the Anzio vehicles follow close behind. With their main 75mm armament fixed in a forwards position, Rabbit Team is at a firepower disadvantage. The girls argue amongst themselves as to whether to continue running or turn around and fight. Amidst the chaos, they encounter Duck Team, racing past in the opposite direction whilst engaged with five Carro Veloce. They narrowly evade a collision with their friends. Anzio abandons their encirclement plan and rallies their remaining forces back to their flag tank, so the two Semovente break off the pursuit and disengage. Rabbit Team takes the chance to turn around and fire, but consistently miss the small, mobile Anzio vehicles. Azusa Sawa encourages her crew to calm down and stop the tank for stationary aiming. Aya Oono uses the smaller-calibre 37mm to find the range on the first Semovente, which allows Ayumi Yamagou to score a direct hit with the 75mm cannon. As her crew members jokingly liken her to Miho Nishizumi, Azusa Sawa sets her tank off in pursuit of the remaining Semovente. 'Tank Destroyer Duel' The main Ooarai force moves through the crossroads and heads west. In the meantime, Anchovy, wondering about the suspicious delay in implementing Operation Macaroni, radios Pepperoni and discovers that she put out all eleven decoys at the crossroad, giving away the deception. Anchovy has her P40, the Anzio flag tank, move out. In that moment, Ooarai appear, and both sides drive straight past each other in surprise. As the two forces turn to engage each other, Carpaccio, commanding a Semovente M41, recognises the blue hippo on the StuG III as the icon Caesar uses in her online username. Whilst the P40 leaves with its one remaining CV.33 escort, Carpaccio engages Hippo Team in a one-vs-one duel. Although the StuG III has thicker armour and a more powerful gun, the Semovente M41 has the advantages of mobility and a lower profile. Both tanks spar around an open clearing, evenly matched. Eventually, both vehicles open up the range and line up to decide the engagement by reloading speed. Caesar and Carpaccio both reload at exactly the same rate, and the tanks knock each other out at the same time. 'Operation Protractor' Having spotted the Panzer IV and the Panzer 38(t), the P40 turns downhill and engages them through the trees. Hurtling across the rough terrain, match is even, with neither side able to score a hit on the other's flag tank. As Duck Team rallies and begins knocking out Anzio tankettes, Anchovy realises that they no longer have enough forces to encircle Ooarai, and abandons Operation Macaroni. Even as she gives orders over the radio, Anglerfish Team lands a hit on her last remaining CV.33 escort, leaving the P40 completely exposed. Anchovy recalls her remaining forces back to the flag tank's defence, commencing 'Operation Protractor'. Anglerfish Team and Turtle Team split up. Anchovy spots Turtle Team first and suspects that they have split up to attack from two sides. She immediately turns to attack the Panzer 38(t), which is the Ooarai flag tank. Turtle Team's return fire is ineffective thanks to Momo Kawashima's pitiful gunnery. However, Turtle Team is in reality just drawing the P40 into a kill zone. When Anchovy finally appears to have cornered the Panzer 38(t), she misses her shot, then realises that her tank is in the open with Anglerfish Team aiming down on her from atop a high ridge. At that moment, Anzio's last remaining tanks rush onto the scene. The Semovente loses control and tumbles down an incline, to be immediately shot by Rabbit Team. Pepperoni's Carro Veloce belts around the corner, and Duck Team speeds into view behind them. The Type 89B fires, hits, and sends Pepperoni's tank tumbling into collision with the immobilised Semovente. The Panzer IV fires last, aiming a shell down onto the front plate of the P40 to negate the effectiveness of its sloped armour. With the Anzio flag tank knocked out, Anchovy slumps over the wreck of her vehicle in defeat. 'Aftermath' Despite her disappointment, Anchovy comes to congratulate Miho Nishizumi on a great match. After that, Anzio's Sensha-dō club throws a hugs party to thank all the participants and officials. Caesar and Carpaccio meet up to discuss their duel, each having Caesar having discerned that her opponent was Carpaccio's tank and vice versa. After the ending credits, the scene switches to the time of Episode 10, wherein the night before the tournament finals, Anchovy arrives at the match location with a sizeable Anzio cheer squad, reader to support Ooarai in the coming match. It's late at night, and Anchovy decides that they are so early they have time to kill. Throwing an impromptu party, the Anzio girls get completely exhausted, to the point of sleeping on the ground. They subsequently sleep through the entire next day, and miss the finals match. Anchovy wakes up just as Ooarai raise the championship flag, shocked by her mistake. Characters Introduced *Anchovy *Carpaccio *Pepperoni Vehicle Appearances Fighting Vehicles *Carro Veloce CV.33 *Carro Armato P26/40 *Semovente M41 da 75/18 Non-Fighting Vehicles *Fiat-SPA AS42 Sahariana *Fiat-SPA Dovunque 41 *Fiat-SPA TM40 *Fiat-SPA TL37 *Lancia Aprilia Coloniale Main Events *Yukari Akiyama infiltrates Anzio Girls High School. *Hippo Team gathers data on the P40. *Ooarai trains for the match against Anzio. *The match begins; Anzio implements Operation Macaroni. *Ooarai sees through the decoys and counterattacks. *Hippo Team duels with Carpaccio's Semovente M41. *Ooarai Girls High School wins the match against Anzio Girls High School. *Anzio throws a post-match party. *Anzio students go to support Ooarai in the finals, but inadvertently sleep through entire the match. Trivia *The opening scene of Anchovy briefing her Sensha-dō team comes before the opening sequence. *The Anzio stadium is named the Colosseo, and is modeled after the Colosseum in Rome in its present ruined state. *Pepperoni asks for payments in lira, which is old Italian currency. *Carpaccio calls Caesar 'Taka-chan', whilst Caesar calls Carpaccio 'Hina-chan'. *Carpaccio's online username icon is a pizza. *Caesar can understand Italian and Latin. *Anzu Kadotani calls the P40 a 'Piyo-Piyo'. *This is the only episode in which the Type 89B fires its rear-mounted turret machine gun. *Hana Isuzu can hit a target on her first shot from 1500 metres away. *When Yuzu Koyama complains that Anzu Kadotani is doing nothing to help operate the tank, Anzu responds with 'Maybe next time' referencing how she took over the gunner's controls and made a sizable impact against Pravda Girls High School in Episode 9. *Miho Nishizumi mentions that Jatkosota High School is a formidable opponent even for Kuromorimine, foreshadowing the crucial contribution that a single Jatkosota tank will make in the events of Der Film. *The Anzio commanders give many of their orders in Italian. *Anchovy mentions the Shimada Style when talking with Miho Nishizumi, a reference to Der Film. *With the exception of 'Operation Protractor', many of Anzio's combat operations are named after food. *None of the other Anzio students have any clue what Operation Protractor actually entails. *The P40 is coloured green, whilst the remainder of Anzio's tankettes are painted yellow. *It is implied that Anzio Girls High School has long been struggling to make it into the final four. Thanks to the P40, Anchovy believed that this would be the year they would win the competition. *This is Ooarai's most successful match of the tournament: All ten Anzio tanks were eliminated with the loss of only one Ooarai vehicle. *To Anchovy's dismay, the Anzio Sensha-dō club put more effort into the post-match party than they do into the match itself. *The ending sequence features Anchovy in her P40, Carpaccio in her Semovente, and Pepperoni in her CV.33 driving in convoy. *Anchovy sleeps wrapped up in her mantle. *The episode chronologically runs interspersed with the events of Episode 7. *The chase between Duck Team and Pepperoni's CV.33 is an homage to Hayao Miyazaki animated film "Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro". *The joust between Hippo Team's StuG III and Carpaccio's Semovente is based on a true tale during the Korean War when a American M26 Pershing and a North Korean T-34 were jousting together.Armor Jan-Feb 1993, Article "Jousting with their Main Guns…" p17 & 49 References Category:OVA Category:Episodes